I totally agree! I think the DEU is not being realistic if they think they can get a world-class coach to move to Chemnitz, and frankly, if they think they can dictate to Aliona and Robin whom they will work with. It's a battle of wills at this point.

Woah, that's some story and the biggest loosers here are Robin and Aliona. Thanks for the post, Anke.

Moskovina would be a good choice. She is coaching an American team that trains in St. Petersburg, so Robin and Aliona would not be "out of place". On the other hand, Moskovina coaches at least one more young Russian team in addition to Obertas and Slavnov (and what are they up to?) so would she want to coach a direct competitor to her teams? And if she is ok with that, I wonder what Piseev would have to say on this subject!

I am not sure if representing Ukraine is a realistic possibility. My understanding is that Aliona felt she was not getting enough support there, so why would she (and them) want to be back representing Ukraine with a German partner?

On the other hand, Moskovina coaches at least one more young Russian team in addition to Obertas and Slavnov (and what are they up to?) so would she want to coach a direct competitor to her teams?

Borzenkova & Chuviliaev now quit skating. Obertas & Slavnov went back to training with the Velikovs. Surprisingly enough, Shestakova & Lebedev chose to train with Vasiliev, not Moskvina. Originally I heard that Mukhortova & Trankov were going to Chicago as well, but now there have been rumors they'll go to Moskvina as well.

In general, Moskvina likes to have to competing teams; she believes this creates a competitive training environment and pushes skaters more.

I love these translating programs. Here are the first two paragraphs of the article, courtesy of Wordlingo:

11 May 2006
Ingo tax is a mitlaeufer. That fits great the occupation: An ice art runner as state security service informers of subordinated importance. Unfortunately Mr. Steuer did not only jump on the ice powerfully. No, it also stretched itself and strained for the company. That is now for two months well-known. IN the Torsten humans according to all rules of the art denunziert.

Nevertheless tax in an interview of the "Bild" newspaper was allowed to act like the pursued one, felt treated like "a murderer": The author as victims of a medialen witch hunt. This strategy tried tax Tuesday evening in the transmission "humans with Maischberger" away spiders.

ITA: away with spiders!

I once tried to use Babblefish to read an article in French about Sale and Pelletier. I learned a lot about Jamie Salt Merchant and David Fur Trader.

Could someone translate the gist of it? German is not among the languages I understand...

I'll try to put something together later today or tomorrow. The German is more "flowery" than I'm comfortable translating, so I hope I don't get something really wrong. If I do, maybe Sandra or someone else can help!

Ingo wants to meet with DEU officials to try to work something out. Up until now, he's only been communicating with them through his lawyers, so his letter requesting a meeting is a change. DEU President Mirmseker says, no, it's over; there's no mutual trust.

Savchenko and Szolkowy found out about the DEU's decision by e-mail from the DEU [I'm sorry, but that's tacky]. They say they will continue to work with Steuer; they can't imagine working with any other coach. They already have their new programs worked out.

In the video, Robin says that if it doesn't work out, they'll have to go somewhere else and orient themselves anew. Mirmseker says Robin and Aliona will be fully supported as long as they leave Steuer. It's not unusual for world-class athletes to changes coaches. First and foremost, it's up to the pair: they have to know if they want to continue their career... [AARGH, the news director switched to Ingo before Mirmseker finished his sentence.] Ingo says that if it doesn't work out with the DEU, maybe there will be a private sponsor to help take "Project Savchenko Szolkowy Steuer" to a gold medal.

[He seems to be overlooking the national affiliation part...]

There's also concern in Chemnitz about what will happen to their training program in general. The director of the Chemnitz center is Monika Scheibe (Ingo's former coach), and she also has a Stasi past, so the Interior Ministry's ruling that no public funds can be used to pay for former Stasi informants could affect her as well. A member of the Bundestag asked the Interior Ministry about other Stasi informants being paid out of public funds and has not yet gotten a response.

[I'm picking up from various sources that German training centers are supported by the DEU only when they have promising skaters, and losing DEU support can be tough. Maybe someone can give us more information. In any case, there could be a whole new can of worms for the German sports federations to deal with.]

[I'm picking up from various sources that German training centers are supported by the DEU only when they have promising skaters, and losing DEU support can be tough. Maybe someone can give us more information. In any case, there could be a whole new can of worms for the German sports federations to deal with.]

I think the costs for skaters and the funding levels vary a lot from center to center. In the centers of the Stuttgart region "Team members" get free ice time, athletics and balett plus some funding for the trainer costs.

From some parents reports I got that the monthly training cost normally vary from €150 to €1000 a month, plus around €1000 for each European competition.

Some centers are also very lucky with Sponsors. The Mannheim Center got free summer training in a Fitness & Injury Prevention center for 6 senior level skaters.

I think currently the top centers for single skaters would be
- Berlin
- Oberstdorf with coach Michael Huth
- Mannheim
- Dortmund

I'm not convinced that Steuer is all bad. Why wasn't all this brought out long before now? He was a competitor then and now a coach. If he is so bad that he should not coach then he should not have competed. Was ist los, hier?

I'm not convinced that Steuer is all bad. Why wasn't all this brought out long before now? He was a competitor then and now a coach. If he is so bad that he should not coach then he should not have competed. Was ist los, hier?

Here is what Werner writes about this at his forum (he lives in Germany). I’m not translating the questions he is answering , only his answers.
Investigation showed that Steuer was an extremely active informer of the Eastern Germany's Security Services, better known as "Stasi"; moreover, he performed his functions there up until the very unification. He lied to the defense ministry of FRG to join the Bundesver and practically had to lie all those years to save his skin. When his “file” ended up at the table of the National Olympic Committee of Germany (according to the law, all coaches and sports functionaries are investigated for ties to criminal world or Security Services of GDR), Steuer, instead of shielding his students from his problems, thus giving them the opportunity to perform well in Turin, used Alyona as a shield and made her say things he prefered not to talk about himself. Savchenko, whose relationship with Ingo have long gone beyond those of a coach and student, became Steuer’s mouthpiece, thus causing great and perhaps irreparable harm to herself and her partner.

--------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, a good coach can be a bad person. Athletes are not checked for affiliation with Social Services, only coaches and functionaries are. This was Ingo Steuer’s first trip to the Olympic Games as a coach. However, you are absolutely right: the tip to the proper authorities with the proper information came from someone who needed it. I know the name. I have no sympathy for Steuer – he is an a**, a psychopath, and a liar. I do sympathize with Alyona Savchenko, her partner, and the Germany figure skating.

As I understand it, the problem wasn't just that Steuer worked for the Stasi; it is that his work was much more serious and intensive than had first been suspected -- and he kept lying about it. IMO, if they have the records of the people that got hurt by Steuer's snitching, they should be consulted about how badly they want him punished.